The Kwara State Police Command has asked all owners of seized vehicles and motorcycles in the custody of the police at the divisional headquarters and other formations within the state to come forward to reclaim their property.

The announcement was made by Mohammed Lawal Bagega, the Kwara State Commissioner of Police, via a press statement released by Ajayi Okasanmi, the command’s spokesman.

The press statement was dated Monday May 24 but only made available on Twitter on Tuesday May 25.

Bagega gave an ultimatum of 14 days for owners of the unclaimed vehicles to show up, otherwise they would be auctioned.

“The Kwara State Police Command wishes to inform the general public of her readiness to clear all Divisional Police Headquarters and of all accidended [sic], unclaimed exhibits including impounded motorcycles during the Covid-19 Lockdown/Curfew imposed by the state government,” the statement partly read.

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“As such, owners of such vehicles and motorcycles are given 14 days of grace to come with the original documents for identification and collection.

“Also be informed that after the expiration of the fourteen days ultimatum, all unclaimed items will be auctioned.”

This development came after FIJ’s recent follow-up on the car theft cover-up within the Kwara State Command.

In October 2019, the Kwara State Command had seized five vehicles from suspected armed robbers. Although one of the cars was released on bond to the actual owner, FIJ exclusively gathered that another one, a Toyota Corolla, was given to the suspects who were later released on bail. 

READ ALSO: Two Policemen in Kwara Busted a Car Theft Ring. Their reward? A Sack!

FIJ’s investigations further confirmed that this attempt to cover up the car theft led to the illegal dismissal of two detectives  — Shola Akano and Babatunde Glorious  — who busted the car theft network.

In mid-May, however, the owner of the car that was released to the suspects reached out to FIJ to confirm that the car was indeed his.

His confirmation prompted FIJ’s fifth report on the cover-up in the command, before the commissioner’s recent statement.